Finstads Carpet One Thank you for your kind compliments!

I finally did a rough measurement and it is almost 30" from the countertop to the BOTTOM of the top cabinets (that are 30" from ceiling)! I have hung one small shelf that I do use for my favorite coffee cups and creamer/sugar. If I could find something I liked better I would probably trade it out for something with a deeper shelf for more usefulness. I am going to have extra butcher block so maybe I could make my own and then buy decorative brackets . . .

I thought I'd check in this morning and share my progress . . . my mom and I have been working the last 2 days.

Before we took the old sink and countertops out:

Thankfully the countertops came off so easily . . .

And we have managed to rough cut the countertops below the window (including the sink hole) . . .

^^^^^ The island had 3 layers: plywood, hardy backer board, and tile. We left the plywood in place. I plan on trimming it to the edges of the cabinet and using it as a platform to install the butcher block.

And yes, I am going to get rid of the brown paint on the walls! I can't stand to leave it--knowing that a lighter color would work better. I'm thinking maybe a light green or blue. The cabinets are staying as is though . . . I am in too deep already! I figure I'll paint them later on.

I am still researching tile but I keep coming back to this cobblestone subway tile that I found on wayfair.com. I love the simplicity of it. The stones are 2x4 so it would make an easy fit for my dimensions . . . stopping at the bottom of my window is roughly 11 inches.

I like the tile you are considering; it has a casual look without being too busy. Good job. And, I am impressed with your countertop work. We did our own countertops last year, and it's not all that easy, so - good job. Be sure to post pictures of the final installation!

Here's a few more pics of my progress . . . I'm going to do my first layer of Waterlox later today. In the meanwhile, it is time for paint samples to go up. And I am going crazy looking at the cabinets! They are begging for paint too!!!

Have you thought of using Annie sloan paint for the cabinets-they have a french linen shade that would cover and I think would work with your beautiful counters-(so hard to tell the true tone in computer pics) . It is the easiest way (in my opinion to paint cabinets)Please wait on the tile until the cabinet decision is made and wait on paint until the cabinet decision is made-you will have thousands of wall paint and tile options to choose from once that decision is made. The whit tile is beautiful but you may choose a slightly different shade of white depnding on the cabinet color.

looks like you are headed in the right direction. Cabinet color first though!

I will look up the Annie sloan paint. I've never heard of it before now.

I love the butcher block!

It is hard to show the true countertop color in pictures. The stain is very close to a walnut . . . very brown without any hints of red.

Looking great!!

That is looking great....the uppers look great and the wall color is so much lighter and fresh!

Woohoo!! Congratulations! It looks great! Keep us posted.

Woohoo! I have a working oven . . . and a sink that will be useful soon! ((Plumbing is not quite finished yet.))

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice along the way! Backsplash is coming soon . . . after I finish painting all the cabinets.

What color did you end up with for the walls? It's looking really great. What a huge difference.

It is Sherwin Williams . . . called Aloe.

Thank you! I'm loving the light, airy feeling in there.

Thank you so much Texas! I'm so ready to see it too!

Awesome job on the cabinets and countertops-they look great!

Wow!! Looks great. Thank you for the update. Post as tiling goes up!!

Slow and steady wins the race!! It looks very nice!!

Grout should match the tile unless you want each individual tile to stand out and become another pattern in the kitchen.

Looks awesome!!

That looks so nice!! Great job :)

Good job!! Looks nice.